Reversible shifting shuttle-box for looms.



No. 783,424. PATENTED FEB. 28, 1905.

T. P. DOYLE.

REVERSIBLE SHIFTING SHUTTLE BOX FOR LOOMS.

APPLICATION FILED OUT. 31.1904.

NITED STATES Patented February 28, 1905.

PATENT Urrrce.

REVERSIBLE SHIFTING S HUTTLE-BOX FOR LOOIVIS- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No, 783,424, dated February 28, 1905.

Application filed October 31, 1904. Serial No. 230,629.

To u/ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS F. DOYLE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Manchester, county of Hillsboro, State of New Hampshire, have invented an Improvement in Reversible Shifting Shuttle-Boxes for Looms, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like figures on the drawings representing like parts.

In the so-called box-loom the shifting shuttle-box is made up of a plurality of shuttle receiving cells or compartments two, three, or more, according to the requirementS and this shuttle-box is mounted to slide up and down in suitable guides on the lay. The shifting of the box, whereby one compartment or another is brought into operative position with relationto the raceway of the lay, is effected by shifter mechanism controlled by a suitable pattern-surface and ashifter-rod forming a part of said mechanism is connected with the bottom plate of the shuttle-box. The boxes are made as castings for right and left hand looms, and it is very common to cast on the bottom plate two ears having alined apertures adapted to receive a rod or shaft, which in turn is connected with the upper end of the shifter-rod. When sucha shuttle-box breaks, it is almost always at the bottom plate, due to the strain thereon, and when so broken it now has to be thrown on the scrap-heap, as it is absolutely worthless. When athree, four, or six cell box is thus discarded, a new one must be substituted, and this item of broken shuttle-boxes amounts to a very large annual sum' in the expense account of a mill employing any great number of looms of the type referred to.

My present invention has for its object the production of a reversible multicellular shifting shuttle-box so constructed that it can be in the first instance used in either a right or a left hand loom and which can be still used after its initial connecting means with the shifter-rod has been broken.

I not only do away with rights and lefts, as all boxes of a given number of cells are alike whether for right or left hand looms, but I double the effective life of a box, thereby saving cost in the first instance and reducing the repair or expense account.

The novel features of my invention will be fully described in the subjoined specification and particularly pointed out in the following claims.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a multicellular shifting shuttle-box embodying my invention, the connection with the shifter-rod and one of the upright end guides being shown. Fig. 2 is a right-hand end elevation of the box-casting, and Fig. 3 is a top or plan view of the shuttle-box on a smaller scale.

The shuttle-box herein shown, made of cast metal, is provided with five cells or compartments, though the number is immaterial, the top and bottom plates 1 2 being connected by side members 3 4, which also move in the guideways on the lay, one of such guideways being shown at 5, Fig. 1. On the front of the casting and near its sides are formed the two series of forwardly-projecting perforated lugs 6 7, and, as shown in Fig. 1, the lugs 6 receive between them the hubs 8 of the usual binders 9, a pivot-pin 10 passing through said ears and binders.

The back of the shuttle-box is made as usual, and the free ends of the binders are limited in their outward movement by a rod 11, which is extended through the ears 7 springs 12 acting on the binders inwell-known manner.

So far as described the shuttle-box presents nothing novel in its construction. In accordance with my invention, however, I make the box reversible by providing both its top and bottom plates with means for attachment to the shifter rod 13, Fig. 1, said rod being therein shown as having a yoke-like head 14, adapted to be connected with a rod or bar 15. On the bottom plate 2 of the box are cast two like ears 16, having alined apertures 17, Fig. 2, to receive the connecting rod or bar 15, as shown in Fig. 1, and like and symmetrically arranged ears 18 are cast on the top plate, also having alined apertures 19.

Referring to Fig. 1, it will be seen that the ears 18 are directly above the ears 16, the same distance apart, and apertured similarly to the ears 16, so that the connecting-rod 1.5 can be mounted in either pair of ears.

As shown in Fig. 1, the shuttle-box is ar ranged for a right-hand loom i. 0., the shifting sh utting-box is mounted on the right-hand end of the lay. The shifter-rod 13 is attached to the box by means of the cross-rod 15, mou nted in the ears 16, as shown, and at such time the cars 18 perform no function. Now if either of the cars 16 or the bottom plate 2 is broken the shifter-rod is detached, the lowermost binder is removed, the broken bottom trimmed by tapping with a hammer, if necessary, and then by reversing the box it can be applied to a left-hand loom. The ears 18 are now used in attaching the box to the shifterrod, the reversal of the box and its change to an opposite-handed loom bringing the binders in proper position. It will be manifest, however, that when such reversal and change are made the box will have one less shuttle-cell than at first; but this is no serious objection, as in any large mill looms are running having Shuttle-boxes differing in the number of cells according to the goods being woven.

Of course it will not always happen that the bottom plate will be broken, as an ear only may be cracked off, and in that case the full number of shuttle-cells are available,as before, when the box is reversed.

Inasmuch as the new box is either'a right or a left, according to the loom on which it is used, only one pattern is required, and as the box is still perfectly fitted for additional use even when one of its attaching means is destroyed the useful life of the box is doubled.

My invention is not restricted to the precise attaching means herein shown for connecting for looms, having on the top and bottom plates thereof means for attachment to the shifter-rod.

2. As an article of manufacture, acast-metal, reversible multicellular shifting shuttle-box fo'r looms, having on the top and bottom plates thereof integral means for attachment to the shifter-rod.

3. As an article of manufacture, a reversible metallic multicellular shifting shuttle-box for looms, having on the top and bottom platcs thereof integral and parallel projecting ears having alined openings therein, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. As an article of manufacture,a cast-metal, reversible multicellular shifting shuttle-box for looms, the parallel top and bottom plates thereof each having two projecting parallel apertured ears, whereby the shifter-rod may be connected with either plate.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS F. DOYLE.

Witnessesi JAMES EDMOND, JAMES C. MURDooH. 

